Separating fact from fiction

Date: 20/03/1997

British Commissioner James Morton stood in Avenue Molière last weekend with his lover, the Portuguese Commissioner, and stared at the debris of his luxury flat, blown up by terrorists.

It was a grim moment, but no cause for alarm. For, as you have probably already guessed from the names of the people involved, it was not for real.

This was in fact just another day on location with The Commissioner, an everyday tale of mystery and intrigue at the top of the Eurocracy, starring John Hurt as a failing Westminster MP despatched to Brussels where, against the odds, he turns into a hero.

The script is based on the book by former MEP and Commission official Stanley Johnson, who is now European director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

There will be no filming at the Breydel, however, as it was not deemed appropriate to disrupt the real Commission simply to film a pretend one. Instead, buildings in Cologne will have to suffice when the production moves on to Germany this week.

Johnson's plot, hatched in 1987, was way ahead of its time. In his fictional Commission there is only one Commissioner per member state - a device, he admits, which was not so much prophetic as designed to simplify the story line.